We who live in Norway know how heavy darkness can be in the long months of winter when the sun shines only a few hours each day. What must it be like to be physically blind and never be able to see the light? Think about it. You will come to appreciate how great was the healing Jesus worked in today’s Gospel, giving sight to the man born blind.

But there are other kinds of blindness, not only physical: blindness of mind and heart. Jesus can heal these also. There are other kinds of darkness, not only physical: the darkness of unbelief and sin, ignorance and uncertainty, fear and anxiety. We see something of these in today’s Gospel as well (see for example, John 9,38-41).

Do you know your blindness? Do you know your darkness? If not, ask Jesus to show you. Ask Jesus to heal you, to give you sight in mind and heart. His light shines in the darkness. Jesus, who is the light of the world, has power to overcome all darkness.

In this Lent, let us look to Jesus’ light. Let us walk in Jesus’ light so the darkness does not overcome us.

Lent is about listening. On the first and second Sundays, we heard the Father’s voice say to Jesus and to us: you are my beloved sons and daughters. On the third Sunday (Year A), we hear Jesus say to the Samaritan woman at the well—and to us, “If you had known God’s gift and who it is some asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4,10).

Living water – yes, water is the source of life, water is necessary for life. But there is also a spiritual water, the water that comes from God. Jesus tells us about this water in today’s Gospel (John 4,5-42).

The Psalmist says, “as the deer longs for streams with living water, so also my soul longs after you, my God. My soul thirsts for God” (Psalm 42,2-3) and “my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a deserted, dry, waterless land” (Psalm 63,2).

Do we recognize our thirst? Do we know what we thirst for? Do we recognize him who alone can fill our thirst? Jesus says, “Those who thirst shall come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, from within him shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7,37-38).

Come to Jesus today. Ask him for living water. Drink his living water and you shall never thirst again.